


You Won't Feel A Thing

by kenezbian



Series: Kenezbian's Vampire AU [13]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-27 23:53:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenezbian/pseuds/kenezbian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miles and Arryn have a deep friendship, but can it survive through a severe injury and the feelings that come with it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Miles stood on the curb, staring up at the neon sign glowing in the dark. It was one of those tacky ones with the person posing and their arm moving - but it was clearly meant to be a vampire drinking a pack.

He pursed his lips and sighed.  _The Mortuary. Odd name for a mixed club,_  he said to himself, shrugging and pushing the door open.

He was suddenly bombarded with smells - the room only had a dozen or so people in it, but two-thirds were vampires and all but one were marked humans. He took a minute to let it sweep over him and decide he didn’t recognize any of them, and moved to the bar.

"Hey!" a friendly brunette said to him. "What can I getcha? We’ve got a great beer on tap, unless you’re more into the hard stuff." She winked at him.

"You could say that. How’s your blood supply?" he asked, sitting on a stool and propping up his elbows on the bar.

She gasped. “You must be a camo! Never seen one before - well, not that I’ve recognized anyway.” She laughed and shook her head. “Sorry. Blood supply’s a little low since we just opened, we’ve got a couple packs of Jack Daniels and a rum and Coke, otherwise it’s beer.”

"Any synth?"

"Just Jack’s." She shrugged. "Wish I could offer you more."

"One of the Jack’s would be fine, thank you." He smiled. "I’m surprised at how many people you’ve got in here for a Thursday night."

"Well, the mates in the booth are the owners," she said, thumbing over her shoulder as she reached for the big fridge in the corner. "They’re here tonight with a couple human friends and two mated couples, showing them the place."

"And the big guy at the back table?"

"He’s with a different coven in town. The little human he’s with is a local feeder."

Miles frowned. “Didn’t think Austin had any feeders.”

She slipped the pack into a holder and cracked the top off. “Synth drinker like you wouldn’t need to look for one, would you?”

"Guess not. What about you?" he asked.

She pointed at her wrist. “Oh, this? Sorority requirement.” She slipped a straw in the open top and slid him the drink. “Four dollars.”

Miles’ eyebrows shot up. “That ain’t bad.” He traded her the holder for a ten. “Keep the change.”

She shook her head. “You’re too generous.”

"I could say the same about you." He took a sip and sighed. "I don’t usually miss being human, but damn, I miss the booze sometimes."

"They say the buzz is better from real blood." She crossed her arms.

"Then I guess it’s something I’ll never know." He took a deep drink and licked his lips.

"That adamant, huh?"

"My coven’s a synth coven, the only ones that drink are the old guy, the brute, and the one recovering from his depression." He shrugged. "I’ve never had the desire to drink or hunt anyway. I turned because I didn’t want to die a slow cancerous death. I think I’ll be okay."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. “Wow. That’s painfully honest.”

"No sense in telling lies." He held out his hand. "The name’s Miles Luna."

She grinned at him. “Arryn Zech. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”


	2. Chapter 2

He walked into the bar and smiled widely at his friend on the other side. “Hey, there’s my girl!”

Arryn grinned and ran around to give him a hug. “Miles! I’m so happy to see you!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and gripped tightly.

He swept her up and twirled around once, setting her back on her feet and holding her waist. “How was France?”

"A-mazing. I learned so much when I was there, I can’t wait to tell you about it. Come on, you still drinking that terrible pale ale bullshit?" She tugged his elbow and went back to the bar.

"Nah, I’ve moved on. Raquel got a great new lager while you were gone, I’ve been really enjoying it." He slid onto his usual stool and watched her walk to the fridge.

"Oh, that dark beer? I’m glad you like it, no one else has ordered it since I’ve been back." She grabbed one for him and walked back, slipping it into the holder and ripping the top off. "I trust you helped Raquel and Mitchell keep an eye on the place while I was gone then?"

"Didn’t miss a single Thursday." He took a deep drink and reached for his wallet.

She shook her finger at him. “This one is on me.” She leaned on the bar and looked at him closely. “I missed our talks.”

"I missed a lot more than that." He winked at her. "Tell me more about your trip."

He watched her intently as she began to ramble on, talking about the food and her flatmates and struggling with the language and how much art she made and regretting that she couldn’t bring it home, and he just smiled. Arryn was always so animated and bubbly, he couldn’t get over her.

After about half an hour, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned. “Hey Mitch, what’s going on?”

The tall thin vampire shook his head. “I’m sorry to bother you, Miles, but Raquel’s getting iffy feelings from the big guy again. Says they’re stronger than last time.”

"Last time?" Arryn furrowed her eyebrows.

"About two weeks ago, the big guy was in with his usual little feeder, but they were fighting. Miles had to help me force them out. Second week now he’s been in without the feeder, and he’s antsy." Mitchell frowned.

"Do we need to get him out again?" Miles felt his muscles tense.

Mitchell shook his head again, blond bangs falling in his eyes. “Not yet. I just wanted to warn you, you know how keen Raquel is.”

Miles nodded once. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

Almost as if he was on cue, the flood of instincts, hit them both like a truck. They stared at each other, then turned to the big guy. His face was blank, and his eyes were set in a dead stare on Arryn.

"Boys, I think we just witnessed a feral turning," a voice said from behind Miles.

He jumped and held his chest. “Christ, Raquel, I know you’re a sneak but you’re quieter than goddamn Monty.”

"You felt it, right? Like a hammer straight to your brain. He’s feral and he’s thirsty."

Arryn swallowed. “This is definitely an alarm moment, right?”

Mitchell nodded. “Arryn, you’re the only human here. He’s going to go for you. I’m going to distract him and you need to duck behind the bar, okay? Push the alarm button and use your cell to call 911.”

"Got it."

Miles stared over his shoulder at her. She had a brave face, but he could hear her heart trying to leap out of her chest.

He heard the big vampire in the corner get up suddenly, and move swiftly across the room, tossing tables out of his way in an effort to get to Arryn. Mitchell climbed onto the bar and jumped across, smashing the feral in the chest and taking him to the floor.

"Arryn move!" Miles shouted at her, and she disappeared from his sight. He tugged Raquel’s elbow and they both jumped towards the feral.

He had managed to throw off Mitchell and got to his knees, reaching for a chair. Miles knocked his hand away and got behind him, grabbing his chin and pulling his head back.

Raquel and Mitchell went for his arms, trying to assist Miles in breaking his neck (or even downright tearing his head off), but the feral was stronger. He managed to rip his hands out of their grasp and reached over his head, grabbing Miles by the shirt.

He flipped him over his head and into Mitchell, and both men sprawled across the floor. The big vampire swatted at Raquel and the little woman went flying, smashing into the wall and falling to the floor.

Miles went to stand up when he heard movement from behind the bar, and whipped his head around. Arryn had stood up and was dictating something into her phone, but all Miles could hear was the ringing in his ears.

"GET IN THE BACK ROOM!" Mitchell shouted at her, and she nodded, trying to scramble around the corner.

The feral saw her and grabbed the back of the nearest chair, flinging it with ease at the brunette and hitting her in the head. She went down without a sound, and the vampire got to his feet and charged for her.

Mitchell stood up quickly and ran for Arryn, trying to get to her first, but the bigger vampire shoulder-checked him away and grabbed the limp girl. He wrapped his large hands around her waist and squeezed hard enough for Miles to hear cracking sounds.

Moments later, he was standing over the feral’s back, stabbing him repeatedly in the shoulders and neck with a broken liquor bottle. He could hear sirens in the distance, and Raquel sobbing on the floor where she fell, but all that mattered was getting the feral off his friend.

The big vampire turned to look at him and he pushed the jagged glass into one of his eyes, and he threw his head back in a scream. He heard feet pounding behind him, and both Mitchell and Raquel appeared in his line of sight, wielding broken bottles of their own.

He slipped under the vampire’s arms and grabbed Arryn under the armpits, pulling her into the back room. She was waking up, and tears were streaming down her face. “Miles…” she whimpered.

He could hear dreadful noises coming from the other room but he didn’t care. He propped Arryn’s feet up on a box and knelt by her head, brushing the tears away from her face. “I’m here, Arryn, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. Can you tell me what hurts?”

There were many pairs of booted feet running into the bar, and a couple shots rang out, followed immediately by silence, and then some whispers and sighs.

"Nothing." She stared at him, eyes wide. "Nothing hurts."

He shook his head. “You must be in shock, I watched him grab you—”

"No," she interrupted. "Miles, I can’t feel my legs."


	3. Chapter 3

Miles paced the hall of the hospital, waiting for someone, anyone to come talk to him. It had been hours since Arryn went into surgery and her parents had left to the private waiting room, and he was going stir-crazy.

Monty and Joel had come by the hospital with an emergency pack (“After a fight like that you need to get your strength back,” Joel had said while shoving it at his face), but left shortly after. The human blood gave him tingles and shivers, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

Finally, Arryn’s father walked out of the double doors, and Miles rushed to him and grabbed his hand. “Is she alright?”

Mr. Zech nodded and shook his head. “She’s out of recovery and in the ICU, and she’s asking for you.”

"What’d the surgeon say?" he asked, falling into step next to the older man.

"Arryn said she wants to tell you. The wife and I are going to go get something to eat while you talk."

Miles nodded, and they walked briskly to the room. He briefly greeted Arryn’s mother, and they walked away towards the cafeteria.

He stepped into the room and frowned. She was lying nearly flat on the bed, attached to several machines with wires everywhere.

She turned to look at him and smiled. “My hero,” she whispered.

He sat next to her and held her hand. “The feral’s long gone, and everything’s covered under Raquel’s business insurance. Only thing you need to worry about is getting better.”

"How’d you know I was gonna ask that?"

"Because I know you." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Your dad said you wanted to talk to me."

"They stopped the internal bleeding, and they said my cracked ribs will heal in time." She swallowed. "But they said my spine’s obliterated. They put in a metal rod and said the best they can offer me now is feeling returning to my lower abdomen. I’ll never walk again."

Miles let out the breath he was holding and hung his head. “I’m sorry, Arryn, I tried to help you, I really did—”

"You saved my life. I would have died in that monster’s arms, Miles. I’m alive because of you." She squeezed his hand. "I’m going to have a long life ahead of me because of you."

"A life in a fucking wheelchair," he grumbled, looking at the floor.

They sat quietly for a while, and there was a knock at the door. “Excuse me, but it’s time for Arryn’s meds,” the nurse said.

Miles nodded. “I’ll be back in a minute, alright?”

She smiled. “You should go home and get some rest. I can tell you’re bruised. You know where to find me.”

He nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He smiled weakly at her and walked out slowly, sliding his hands into his pockets and hanging his head.


	4. Chapter 4

He walked into her hospital room, and smiled at the young woman sitting propped up in her bed. “Hey Arryn,” he said, pulling up a chair.

She frowned. “Hey.”

"Gosh, look who’s grumpy." He sat backwards on the chair and propped his elbows up on the back, resting his chin on his forearms. "Bad day?"

"Fucking therapist wants me to start weight training. I don’t want to look like a body builder!" She huffed and crossed her arms. "What the fuck does that guy know anyway?"

"Well, he’s your physical therapist, I think he probably knows a lot about how to get you to a place you can be independent again." Miles pressed his lips together in a thin line. His bubbly friend had come a long way in the last months - all the way from grateful to irritable.

She snorted. “What good is being independent gonna do? Not like I can really go anywhere.”

"Not right now, no. But there’s a lot of shit you’ll be able to do again, you just have to learn how to do it a different way." Miles patted her knee. "It’ll be alright."

"And how the fuck would you know, Miles?" she sneered at him. "Perfect precious Miles. Never ages, never feels weak, never feels singled out—"

"I don’t sleep or eat either, Arryn." He felt his temper bubbling under the surface and pushed it down. "What are you getting at?"

"You’re a vampire. You’re never gonna know how I feel.  _Ever._ ”

He frowned deeply at her. “I was human once too.”

"Ages ago!"

“ _Six years ago._ " He stood up. "Only six short years ago I was lying in a fucking hospital bed, dying of a terminal illness. Yeah I had use of my legs but I still couldn’t stand, let alone walk. And if that random vampire hadn’t been stalking my hallway hunting the smell of death that lingered on me, I wouldn’t have been able to make the deal that saved my life and inevitably yours." He shoved the chair roughly into the corner.

"Miles, wait," she whispered to him. "I didn’t mean it."

"I’m getting real sick of being a cheerleader for someone who doesn’t appreciate the help I’m trying to give her. So why don’t you just call me when you’re over yourself?" He turned on his heel and walked out the door, trying not to listen to her sobs echo down the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

"Joel?"

The older vampire looked up from his desk and smiled. “Hey Kara.”

"Couple vampires here to see you. Say they know Miles from that club he goes to." She pursed her lips. "Not sure I trust them."

Joel stood up and crossed the office, bending down and kissing Kara’s cheek. “If they’re friendly with Miles then they’re friends of ours. I’ll see them outside.”

"Should I get Monty too?" She turned and followed him downstairs.

Joel shook his head. “Nah, I should be fine alone.”

He walked out the front door, grinning widely at the couple. “You must be Raquel and Mitchell,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s good to meet you guys finally.”

Mitchell shook his hand first. “Pleasure’s ours. Miles speaks highly of his coven, it’s nice to put a face to a name.”

Raquel smiled. “We want to speak to you about him. Is that alright?”

"Of course. Is something wrong?" Joel looked between them.

Raquel frowned. “We haven’t seen him in ages. Hasn’t come to the bar even though it’s reopened and won’t visit Arryn because they had a falling out. Just wanted to make sure he’s alright.”

Joel shrugged. “Kid’s been mopey and quiet, but he’s eating well and showing up for work. I guess that’s all I can really say though, he hasn’t confided in me or anything.”

The small vampire looked to her mate, and he nodded. “Look, Arryn’s been really struggling with this paralysis thing. She keeps talking about wishing she would wake up from this nightmare and how she’ll never be better. And something she said to me the other day made me think Miles put an idea in her head.”

"What idea?" Joel’s eyebrows furrowed and he leaned on the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mitchell swallowed. “Arryn knows that Miles chose to be turned because he was going to die. Turning fixed his cancer, why can’t turning—”

"—fix her legs," Joel finished, running a hand over his face. "So turn her. What does Miles have to do with any of this?"

"We think it would be best if he did it."

"WHAT?!" Joel’s voice reverberated off the walls and the other vampires shuddered. "Are you fucking nuts? My coven is still recovering from nearly losing two members! I don’t think we can handle another newborn right now!"

Mitchell and Raquel shook their heads in unison. “Nonono, Joel, that’s not what we meant at all,” he said quickly.

"Miles feels responsible for what happened, and Arryn is closer to him than she is to us. She might accept it more easily from him - especially considering it’s a choice he made once too." Raquel laid a hand on Joel’s wrist. "We’d take her into our coven and raise her as our own. We just want your permission to allow Miles to do it."

"And what about Arryn’s parents? Do they know about your idea?" Joel pressed his lips into a thin line.

Mitchell nodded. “They’re both on board. Arryn deserves to be happy and she’s not right now, and they’re desperate for their little girl back.”

Joel nodded. “Alright. Whatever Arryn’s decision is, Miles is allowed to help as needed. Thank you for asking.”

Mitchell shook his hand firmly and quickly. “Thank you for allowing it! It’s been a long time since we’ve been friendly with another coven like this—”

"—and it’s a great honor," Raquel finished, stealing Joel’s hand from her mate. "I promise, Arryn will be our responsibility. You can count on us."


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you ready?"

Arryn stared up at Miles, eyes wide. “Will it hurt?”

He shook his head. “You won’t ever feel a thing.”

The surgeon stepped over and leaned down. “Ms. Zech, I’m going to give you a mild sedative now and we’ll take you back for anesthesia. We’re going to remove all the rods from your spine, and use temporary sutures to close the wound.”

"Once you’re in recovery but before you wake up, I’m going to come in and give you a hefty dose of venom. And when you wake up, you’ll be a fully fledged vampire."

She swallowed. “I’ll be able to walk again?”

"Baby, you’ll be able to walk right out of here, as long as it’s after sunset." He kissed her knuckles. "Raquel, Mitchell, and myself will escort you to their apartment, and you’ll be properly introduced into their coven then."

She nodded. “They’ve been telling me what’s going to happen, and how I need to be trained.”

"And you’ll do well to listen to them. They won’t steer you wrong - at least, not on my watch." He smiled. "I’ll be here when you wake up, older and wiser and stronger than ever."

He held her hand until the last possible moment, and was then escorted to the lab, where a tech had him bite down on a strange tube that collected the venom from his glands. She handed him an emergency pack, and another tech brought him to the recovery room, where he waited for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, the young woman was brought back, lying on her stomach, back barely closed from the surgery. The tech, another vampire, helped Miles pour his venom over the wound, and within moments she was writhing all over the bed.

He felt the panic rise in his chest but the tech stroked his arm and told him this was normal, and a couple more vampires wheeled her, with Miles in tow, down the hall and to the vampires-only area of the hospital.


	7. Chapter 7

It was around the twenty-four hour mark that hospital security came in to discuss Arryn’s departure security.

"We can’t legally allow her to leave until an hour after sunset, which is not until 8:04PM. Once she’s discharged, she’ll be in your care. Where is she going?"

Raquel flicked her eyes between the security officer and the girl on the bed. “Mitchell - my mate - is at our home now, proofing the windows. He’s got the UV detector and everything. Do you need the address?”

The officer shook his head. “No, that’s not necessary now. Just register your address as her forwarding address with the post office and next week when the government agent comes to visit you can resolve any issues then.” He scribbled some notes on the pad, then pointed at Miles with the end of the pen. “And you, do you also live with them?”

He shook his head. “No, I have a separate apartment.” Miles pushed his drooping hair out of his eyes and frowned.

The officer’s eyebrows furrowed. “You have a different coven?” he asked, pointing the pen at Miles’ wrist.

Miles stared at it and shrugged. “Yeah, I do. Raquel and Mitchell are friendly.”

"I can’t let you stay, not without your alpha present." He stood from his chair and set down his clipboard.

"But I’m the turning party!" Miles protested, taking a step backwards.

"Legal rules. Even if Raquel has your alpha’s permission to have you here, we don’t know that and can’t honor it unless your alpha comes here himself and gives us verbal confirmation. I’m required to ask you to leave."

The smaller vampire sighed and turned to Raquel. “I’ll be right back with Joel.”

Raquel nodded. “She’ll be safe with me, I promise.”

"Come on," the officer said, pursing his lips. "I’m sorry it has to be like this."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

"BUT HE’S THE TURNING PARTY!"

"You don’t need to raise your voice at me, sir, I understand the problem."

Joel’s jaw dropped. “Look, the security officer said to Miles that a verbal agreement from me was good enough.”

"Yes, but you need to bring proof that you are your coven’s alpha. Turning party or no, I can’t let him back to see her without this. I’m sorry." The receptionist picked up the phone and turned back to her computer, effectively shutting down the conversation.

Joel turned to Miles. “I have the paperwork in the office, it’ll just take a minute.”

Miles stared at him, eyes wide with panic. “Joel, I really don’t want to miss this.”

"I know, Miles, I’m trying, okay? Raquel is technically alpha and she turned in her portion of the paperwork, I just gotta do mine. I swear to you, I won’t let you miss this." He grabbed Miles’ shoulders and bent down a little to stare in his face. "You’re looking a little manic. Head to the cafeteria and get a pack or two, okay? I’ll head to the office and get my stuff."

He turned quickly and knocked on the desk. “Excuse me,” he said loudly.

The receptionist frowned. “Yes?”

"I need to know what forms I need to bring, for both me and Miles, in order to get him allowed back to see Arryn."

The receptionist sighed and hung up the phone, then started digging through papers. Miles turned and walked down the hall towards the cafeteria, trying to block out Joel fighting with the woman behind him.

* * *

"There isn’t a single person here that can do this?!" Miles asked, nearly crumpling the papers in his hands.

"The rep went home for the day. He won’t be back until tomorrow." The receptionist, a different one from earlier, sighed. "I don’t think this is a life or death thing."

Joel pounded on the counter in front of him. “My covenmate here is the turning party for a girl in the quarantined wing. Her forty-eight hours are up tomorrow morning at 11-o-clock.”

She leaned in. “Then I suggest you get here at 8AM and pray that no one is ahead of you.”

Joel threw his hands up. “Fuck this, I’m going hunting. Miles?”

They turned to leave, and Joel grabbed the forms from Miles’ hands. He laid a hand on his wrist and squeezed. “I will get you back there to see her, even if it means feeding Ray a blood pack and unleashing him on the outside walls.”

Miles laughed weakly. “Thanks Joel.”

* * *

 Mitchell paced the floor in front of Arryn’s bed. She had gone still, but her heart was still strong. “Where are they?” he mumbled.

"Shh, darling, you know Joel will get him here in time. We don’t need to worry." Raquel reached for his hand but he turned and stepped out of reach.

They heard footsteps and turned to the door, expecting Joel or Miles, but sighed upon seeing the doctor.

"I know you want him here. If it was up to me, I’d let him stay. It’s just hospital policy." The doctor shrugged.

"Yeah well your policy is bullshit if it didn’t check for this prior to her change." Mitchell crossed his arms and frowned.

The doctor nodded. “Believe me when I say that my superiors are looking into the matter and it’s being taken care of. Joel is in the office with Miles and they’re going over the forms now with the hospital rep.”

He walked to the patient and leaned over her, frowning as he got closer. “I’ve never seen anyone this far into the change that still looks like this,” he said, lifting her eyelids and looking at her pupils. “If I hadn’t looked at her chart, I wouldn’t think she’d been changed at all.”

Mitchell and Raquel stared at each other, then back at the doctor. “You can’t be serious.”

The doctor lifted her wrist and checked her pulse. “It’s weak, but steady. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I’m going to go get a colleague for a second opinion.”

"Opinion on what?" Raquel said, standing up. "What’s wrong with Arryn?"

The doctor heaved a sigh. “Look, sometimes when a human is too weak, or the damage to the tissue is too much to heal in the turning time frame, the body will just shut down and the human will die without turning. It used to happen a lot more often, before modern medicine and technology and all that, but it’s not unheard of now.”

"Arryn’s… dying?" Mitchell looked at the girl and bit his lip.

"Possibly. I need to confirm with another doctor. I’ll be back." The doctor left the room swiftly.


	8. Chapter 8

Joel and Miles were sitting in that small office, tapping their feet impatiently on the floor as the old man across from them went through his papers. “Well, this all seems to be in order…”

Miles checked his watch. “Look, can we please get on with this?”

"In a minute, sonny, you’re not going to miss anything." The man smiled. "You got plenty of time ahead of you."

"Actually, we have to be somewhere at eleven," Joel scolded.

"Then why’d you come here at all?" the old man asked, grinning.

Joel covered his face with his hands and groaned.

There was a quick knock at the door, and it opened just enough for a young vampire woman in scrubs to peek her head in. “Excuse me, is Mr. Luna in here?”

"Yes, that’s me," Miles said, standing up.

"I need you to come with me immediately," she said, opening the door wide enough for him to pass through. "Is this your alpha?"

"Yes."

"Please stay here and finish the forms as quickly as possible, then come to Ms. Zech’s room. They can give you the number at the front desk."

Miles heard a noise of protest from Joel as the door shut, and then the woman began to walk as quickly as she could. “There’s been a problem with Ms. Zech’s change.”

"A problem? What sort of problem?"

"She’s… not going to make it."

"WHAT?!" Miles shouted.

"I’m sorry to have to tell you this, sir, but Arryn’s body isn’t tolerating the change. She’s going to pass away."

"Then what the hell are we walking for?!" Miles took off in a sprint, the nurse behind him shouting for him to walk but he ignored her.

"No no no no…" he chanted to himself as he ran, narrowly avoiding doctors and nurses and other patients until finally he saw Mitchell standing outside the door to her room.

"Christ, Miles, I didn’t think you were going to make it. She’s almost gone," he said, laying a hand on his shoulder and rushing into the room.

There were three doctors and two nurses alongside Raquel and Arryn’s parents surrounding the girl’s bed. Miles pushed past and grabbed her hand, kneeling on the floor next to her bed and kissing her knuckles.

"Arryn, Arryn, please…" he mumbled, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead.

"Who is this human?" one of the doctors asked.

"Human? Miles is a vampire," Mitchell said, wrapping an arm around his wife’s waist.

"Nonsense, look at him!" another doctor exclaimed.

"He’s the turning party!" Raquel shouted. "Don’t tell me you’ve never seen—"

The heart monitor began beeping loudly and erratically, and the peanut gallery was stunned into silence. They listened as the time between blips grew, and finally, flatlined.

Arryn’s mother turned and wept into her husband’s chest, and he pulled her out of the room into the hallway, passing Joel on his way in. He looked around the room at everyone, and finally to the girl in the bed. “What the hell is going on?”

"She’s dead," the third doctor said, switching off the monitor. "Time, 11:04AM."

Joel rolled his eyes. “Are you fucking blind? She’s not dead, she’s a—”

A groan from the bed startled everyone, and they turned to look as the girl’s weight shifted towards the vampire at her side. “Miles?” she asked quietly, eyes creeping open.

"She’s a camo," Joel finished quietly, smirking as Miles wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled Arryn out of the bed and into his lap on the floor, laughing freely as he hugged her tightly.


	9. Chapter 9

The next few minutes were chaos as the nurses rushed into the hallway to get Arryn’s parents a safe distance away from the thirsty newborn and Joel, Raquel, and Mitchell took the doctors into the hallway to start screaming at them about the hospital’s terrible policies and lack of training regarding vampire turning.

But Miles and Arryn didn’t seem to notice. They just sat together on the floor, staring at each other.

"It’s uncanny," Miles said finally, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I’ve never seen a camo besides myself. You had the whole room fooled."

"I hear everything," she whispered. "I can hear conversations down the hall like they’re happening in the room."

Miles nodded. “That’s normal.”

"Do I have my contacts in?" she asked.

"No. That’s your eyesight now."

She looked around the room, eyes wide. “I see everything.” She laughed. “This is incredible!”

She stood up and looked around the room. “Miles, I can see dust floating in the air! Look at all the scuffs in the floor! Oh man, I would LOVE to look out the window right now, I bet I could see all the way across—”

She stared Miles, who was still sitting on the floor staring at her. “Is something wrong?”

"Look down and tell me what you see," he told her, grinning.

"I can see my feet, but I don’t—" The realization dawned on her and she started bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I’m standing! Miles, look at me! My legs are normal and I’m standing again and I—"

Miles stood and swept her up in a huge hug. “Goddamn, Arryn, I am so happy for you I can’t even begin to tell you!” He set her down on her feet and without thinking kissed her hard on the mouth.

She gasped, but leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck, humming at the sensations.

"MILES!" Joel shouted, and Miles jumped back, pressing his back against the wall and covering his mouth.

"Oh gosh I am so sorry," he said, turning to Joel and realizing Raquel was standing behind him. "Raquel, please, I’m sorry, I didn’t—"

She held up her hand and shook her head. “It’s alright, you were excited.” She smiled. “We’re excited too.”

Arryn stood there for a moment before holding up her hands. “What? It’s just a kiss.”

"Intimate contact is usually reserved for covenmates, Arryn, and Miles isn’t in your coven." Joel smirked. "Anything more than shaking hands is a no-no."

Raquel stepped forward and held out her arm. “Marks like this serve as a reminder of that formality, but you don’t have one yet. He got excited.”

"You mean, once you mark me, he won’t be allowed to do that anymore?" She stared at her friend and swallowed. "Not even hugs?"

"Well, we’re a friendly coven, and we know how close you are." She turned to Joel and he nodded. "I think hugs are okay."

Arryn sighed loudly, then pursed her lips. “I don’t need to breathe?” she asked.

Raquel shook her head. “Vampires don’t need oxygen the way humans do. But we still breathe to smell and speak.” She walked to Arryn and guided her to the bed. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of stuff to cover today before we take you home.”

"Can Miles stay?" she asked, flicking her eyes between Raquel and Joel. "He said he would."

"Miles is going to stay and help escort you home, but after that he’s not going to come by as much for a while," Joel said firmly. "Newborn training is coven business. He can visit sometimes, but his obligation is done after today."

Miles jumped onto the bed next to his friend. “Once your six months is up, though, you’ll be able to work again and I’ll be able to come to the bar every Thursday, just like before. This is going to be amazing, Arryn, you won’t regret it.”

Mitchell walked in, smiling. “Hospital admin is looking into the bullshit. How’s everything in here?”

Joel shrugged and pointed to the three on the bed. “Golden. She’s a walking talking vampire.”

"Raquel is very intuitive, like your Kara. She’ll be a good teacher for her."

"Well it’s not like Arryn’s going to be an aggressive shit either." Joel rolled his eyes. "You and I should get together sometime and I’ll tell you what it’s like raising a tease."


End file.
